Why IT Expert Ahn Cheol-soo Uses Analog Finger Notes?

Exposure of Politician's Memo as Another Message
Ruling Party's Primary Registration, Finger Memo Exposed to Media
Messages like 'Primary X General Election Victory, Yoonhim, Harmony'

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] Why did Ahn Cheol-soo, a prominent IT expert and member of the People Power Party, write a memo on his finger with a black pen? Moreover, why did he expose the finger memo in front of the media watching him?

On the 2nd, at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, Ahn Cheol-soo's finger memo was undoubtedly a hot topic. A politician's words and actions are messages in themselves. Indirect speech, especially embedding political messages into certain events or stories, is a tactic of seasoned politicians. When senior politicians from both ruling and opposition parties expose text messages on their phones or paper memos in the National Assembly plenary session, there is an intention behind it.

The National Assembly plenary hall separates the seats of the members and the positions of the press cameras. Cameras from the press, positioned high above, focus on the members' seats. Words and actions, especially memos, become the center of attention. Unless a politician is a novice, it is common sense not to expose important memos (messages) to the media.

If a memo or message is being viewed in the plenary session, it is almost 100% captured by the media cameras. Unless the memo is deliberately hidden by hands or body, it is difficult to escape the eagle-eyed gaze of the press. Therefore, when politicians expose messages on their phones, it is often interpreted as intentional.

They pretend not to notice the exposure of the message, but in reality, there is a hidden intention to widely publicize the content.

The case of Ahn Cheol-soo is no different. Before expressing his determination to run in the People Power Party leadership election, Ahn Cheol-soo wrote a memo on his finger with a pen. Considering Ahn Cheol-soo's background as an IT expert, he could have used advanced devices familiar to the younger generation to hold the key points of his speech. If the memo was truly to avoid forgetting the main points of his speech...

Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, is taking notes on the key keywords of his finger speech before expressing his position after registering as a candidate for party leader at the party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 2nd. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Ahn Cheol-soo boldly continued writing memos on his finger.

The content of the memo was 'Primary Election X General Election Victory', 'Yoon's Power', and 'Harmony'.

After Ahn Cheol-soo wrote the memo on his finger, the focus of attention was undoubtedly on its content. As a result, Ahn Cheol-soo effectively exposed the core keywords he wanted to convey to the media.

In his policy speech that day, Ahn Cheol-soo stated, "I want to make it clear that I registered as a candidate not for the purpose of winning the primary election, but to win next year's general election."

Ahn Cheol-soo emphasized political harmony and targeted the faction led by Kim Ki-hyun, who was conducting so-called 'Yoon-sim (President Yoon's heart)' marketing. If Ahn Cheol-soo had conveyed this message in a typical policy speech format, it might have received less attention. Exposing the core keywords memo on his finger and then delivering the policy speech based on it was a method.

Ultimately, the finger memo was a perfect promotional strategy that attracted public interest.